Hand-sled propeller



Mar. 27, 1923. 1,449,916

N. SCRIPA HAND SLED PROPELLER Filed July 26"," 1921 Patented Mar. 27,1.923

NICHOLAS SCRIPA, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YbRK.

HAND-SLED PROPELLER.

Application filed July 26,

To (all whommay concern Be it known that I, Nrciioiais SGRlPA, a subjectof the King of Italy, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in theStateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hands ledPropellers, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccon'ipanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to hand-sled propellers involving the use of apair of levers pivoted to opposite ends of a cross-bar near the frontend of the seat of the sled with a vertical lost motion and provided atits lower end with star wheels for engagement along the surface to whichthe sled is adapted to be moved as the levers are operated by hand forpropelling and steering the sled.

The main object. is to enable either of the lovers to be operatedindependently of the other or both simultaneously for steering,propelling and braking purposes so that the user may have entire controlof all movements ofthe sled without leaving the seat.

Another object is to enable the snow or ice engaging members to rotatefreely upon the levers and to be brought into engage ment with saidsurface with the rolling contact, the pressure of which may be varied atwill by the operator through the medium of the independent verticalmovement of the levers on their respective bearings.

Another object is to provide stops for limiting the forward movement onthe upper ends of the levers and against which said levers may rest whencoasting ready for use at any time when it is necessary to operate thelevers as brakes, the rolling motion of the star wheels serving toprevent undue strains on the teeth or levers.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will bebrought out in the following description:

In the drawings:

Fig.1 is a perspective view of a hand-sled and my improved impellingguide and braking device thereon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the propelling devicesand adjacent portions of the frame of the sled.

Fig. 3 is a front face view of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 1.

The hand-sled as -1 may be of any desired construction having the usualseat 2 and side rails 3. A cross-bar 4:-' is rigidly secured to the siderails 3- 1921. sci-m1 No. 487,597.

directly under the front end of the seat -2- and is provided at its endswith cylindrical bearing-members or dowels --5 and projecting somedistance beyond the outer edges of the side rails 3 for receiving andsupporting a pair of hand-levers 6.

The hand-levers are substantially identical and. interchangeable and areprovided intermediate their ends with vertically elongated slots 7 forreceiving the dowels 5, said levers being held in place by washers 8 andcotter pins 9. The lower end of each lever is forked at l0 to form aslot -1lin which is rotatably mounted a star wheel -12, the latter being centrally journaled upon the lower ends of the opposite arms of thefork by means of a pivotal bolt or bearing; ---l3- which is passedthrough both armsand also through an opening in the center of the wheel12.

' The upper end of the lever -6 projects some distance above the levelof the seat l and side rails -3 and terminates in handles ll by whichthe levers may be manipulated forwardly and rearwardly about thehorizontal axes of the dowels 5- which are parallel with the bearingpins 13 for the wheels -12.

A stop-bar 15- is rigidly secured by brackets 16 to the under side ofthe side rails 3 directly in front of the levers -6- and in a horizontalplane slightly above the studs --5 for limiting the forward movement ofthe upper ends of the levers or the rearward movement of the lower endsof said levers and their star wheels l2-, thus permitting said wheel totrail along the snow or ice surface when the sled is coasting with thehandles gripped by the user ready to be drawn rearwardly to thrust thestar wheels against the snow or ice for braking purposes when necessary.

The levers may be operated simultaneously to propel the vehicleforwardly or backwardly or either lever may be operated independently ofthe other or both simultaneously in reverse directions for steering ordriving purposes or either lever may be pressed downwardly and the otherraised also for steering purposes so that the lovers have a wide rangeof uses in affecting any movci'uent of the sled that may be desiredwhile the operator may sit firmly on the seat with the feet restingagainst a front crossbar -l6 clear from the surface over which the sledis traveling.

hat I claim is: ,y In combination with a hand-sled having a .seat andopposite lengthwise siderails, a

cross-bar secured to theiunder side of the side rails near the front endof the seat and having its opposite ends provided with journaledhearings projecting beyond the outer edges of the side rails" handdeversfulcrumed intermediate their ends-upon said bearings and having theirupper ends provided with handles some distance above the seat, starwheels joul naled on the lower ends of the levers for engagingthesurface over which the sled is'adapted to travel, and stops secured tothe frame of the sled and projecting into the path of movement oftheupper ends of the levers above thebearing therefor to'limit the forwardmovement of the

